A unanimous vote by the Coastal Commission paves the way for changes to the Mission Beach Plunge that would destroy part of an iconic orca mural by marine life artist Wyland.

At its Santa Cruz meeting Wednesday, the commission approved additions to a permit for renovations to the historic Plunge pool at Belmont Park.

Those additions are part of a larger project to update the landmark entertainment center by the Rancho Santa Fe real estate investment firm Pacifica Enterprises. Representatives for the firm could not be reached for comment this week.

The commission vote allows the addition of three rooftop decks and some interior space. Those upgrades would involve removing part of a 1989 Wyland mural “Orcas off Point Loma.”

The mural is one of 100 large public artworks known as the “Whaling Walls” that Wyland painted to highlight marine conservation.

The Mission Beach mural shows a family of Orcas swimming off the coast, and offers an intimate glimpse of creatures that most beach-goers don’t get to see up close, said Wyland, who called the commission vote “shameful.”

“It’s power over the interests of the community that wholeheartedly support the mural,” he said. “Art becomes the fabric of the city, once it’s placed and the people embrace it.”

The plans would entail removal of the top third and middle section of the mural, said Alex LLerandi, a coastal program analyst with the Coastal Commission. But the decision to preserve or dismantle the mural was outside the commission’s jurisdiction, he said, and did not play a part in their decision.

Wyland said he believed that federal law prevents destruction of the mural, citing the 1990 Visual Artists Rights Act, which states that artists have the right to “to prevent any destruction of a work of recognized stature.”

Steve Creech, executive director of the Wyland Foundation, said the organization does not know what additional approvals the project will require, but said he will try to work with both the developer and the City of San Diego to preserve the mural.